Edis of Ely in St Johns Street and Cafe Kottani on Buttermarket were rated 1. Across West Suffolk, 37 of 42 September ratings published so far are 5s.
Two food businesses in central Bury St Edmunds have been given a food hygiene rating of 1, meaning “major improvement necessary”. They are a butcher’s on St John’s Street and a cafe on Buttermarket.
The butcher’s has used its right of reply on the register to call the rating “harsh”. Both ratings are on the Food Standards Agency’s public register for West Suffolk, which we read in full on 3 October 2026 (FSA register, West Suffolk).
The wider picture for September is far better. Of the 42 West Suffolk ratings from September inspections published so far, 37 are 5s.
The two town centre 1s
| Business | Inspected | Food handling | Premises | Management of food safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edis of Ely, 4 St Johns Street, IP33 1SQ | 3 September | Improvement necessary | Improvement necessary | Major improvement necessary |
| Cafe Kottani, 30 Buttermarket, IP33 1DW | 12 August | Generally satisfactory | Improvement necessary | Major improvement necessary |
The three headings are the areas an inspector scores. The register lists Edis of Ely as a retailer; it trades as a butcher’s.
Edis of Ely’s reply, published under its rating, reads in full:
I do believe a 1 star harsh, considering last years 5 without the structural improvements we have recently made. On the re-visit it was obviously noticeable to the EHO the advisories had been completed quoting ‘much improved standards’ i.e. cluter, prerequisites for HACCP plans, structural improvements made including decorating, staff training and hygiene levels updated.
The FSA notes under every reply that the business’s statements have not been verified. The register shows no new rating pending for either business.
Cafe Kottani had not posted a reply when we checked. One other Bury premises holds a 1: Krazy Horse Cafe, 3 Lamdin Road, IP32 6NU, inspected on 15 July.
Bury’s September 5s
These Bury St Edmunds premises were inspected in September and rated 5, the top score. Dates are inspection dates.
- Bury Spectrum Gym Club, Northern Way, 2 September
- Glastonbury Court Care Home, Glastonbury Road, 6 September
- Bridge Community Church Grocery Store, 68 Queens Road, 7 September
- Boosh, 2 Abbeygate Street, restaurant, 8 September
- The Coffee Emporium, mobile caterer, 8 September
- North Court Care Home, 108 Northgate Street, 10 September
- Slices Bottomless Pizza Co, 39 Abbeygate Street, 10 September
- Springfield Day Nursery, 61 Springfield Road, 11 September
- Lunchtime Company at Hardwick Primary School, Steward Road, 16 September
- Lunchtime Company at Sexton’s Manor Primary, Greene Road, 16 September
- Caterplus at Cross Penny Court, Cotton Lane, 17 September
In the villages around the town, the 5s were:
- Flempton Golf Club, 5 September
- The Guinness Arms, Icklingham, 6 September
- Vertas at Stanton Primary School, 8 September
- Curry with Love, trading as Nourish & Flow, 46 High Street, Ixworth, 10 September
- Harrison Catering Services at Culford School, 17 September
The rest of the district in September
Elsewhere in West Suffolk, the September 5s by town were:
- Newmarket: Boots, High Street; Thai Street Cafe at the Crown Hotel; The Lime Indian Takeaway, Valley Way; Exning Primary School
- Mildenhall and Barton Mills: Sunrise Chinese Takeaway; Dragon House; Great Heath Academy; Greggs at Field Road Service Station; Burger King, Fiveways
- Haverhill: The Splashpad Kiosk; Domino’s Pizza, Grove Court; Free Food in Haverhill; The Pottery Shed, Gloucester Road; plus two home bakers, Candy Bloom and The Seventh Rose Bakehouse
- Brandon and Lakenheath: Peach Bower, Market Hill, Brandon; Lakenheath Little Fishes; Coffee Angels, mobile caterer
- Clare: Tuckermans, Market Hill; Ann’s Jams & Pickles
Three premises were rated 4: The Kings Head at Beck Row, Jackdaw Service Station at Troston and The Cock Inn at Stanton.
One other September rating was low. Budgens Barrow, 40 Bury Road, Barrow, about seven miles west of Bury, was rated 2 on 2 September. Its food handling was scored “improvement necessary”; the premises scored “good” and its management “generally satisfactory”. It has posted no reply.
August’s lower ratings have now come through
On 5 September we warned that a month of fives could mislead. A 5 is published as soon as the council uploads it. Ratings of 0 to 4 are held back for three to five weeks so the business can appeal (gov.uk guidance).
August’s held-back ratings are now on the register. The month’s 105 inspections break down like this:
- 83 rated 5
- 9 rated 4
- 6 rated 3
- 1 rated 2
- 6 rated 1
Apart from Cafe Kottani, the August 1s and 2s were all outside Bury:
| Business | Rating | Inspected | Food handling | Premises | Management |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anatolia Kebab House, 8 Holmsey Green, Beck Row | 1 | 1 August | Improvement necessary | Improvement necessary | Major improvement necessary |
| The Waggon & Horses, 34-36 High Street, Newmarket | 1 | 6 August | Improvement necessary | Improvement necessary | Major improvement necessary |
| Labas, 7 Exeter Road, Newmarket | 1 | 7 August | Improvement necessary | Improvement necessary | Major improvement necessary |
| Amber’s Cafe, 26 Queen Street, Haverhill | 1 | 11 August | Improvement necessary | Improvement necessary | Major improvement necessary |
| Papermoon, 11 Mill Road, Haverhill | 1 | 30 August | Improvement necessary | Improvement necessary | Major improvement necessary |
| World of Play Ixworth, 17 High Street, Ixworth | 2 | 6 August | Generally satisfactory | Improvement necessary | Generally satisfactory |
Beck Row is about 13 miles north-west of Bury, Newmarket about 14 miles west, Haverhill about 17 miles south-west and Ixworth about six miles north-east. None of these businesses had posted a reply on the register on 3 October.
The six rated 3 were Green Ace Garage on Out Westgate in Bury, China Garden and GoldenFriedChicken in Brandon, Wong’s Chinese Restaurant and St Andrews Cafe in Mildenhall, and Tastefit Creations, a caterer registered in Haverhill.
The queue has shortened
On 5 September, 172 premises on West Suffolk’s register were awaiting their first inspection. On 3 October the figure was 153, down 19 in four weeks.
Across the whole register, 1,279 of the 1,416 rated premises now hold a 5. That is 90.3 per cent, up from 90.1 per cent a month ago. One premises in the district is still rated 0: De Maravilla Tapas in Haverhill, rated on 13 February 2025, with no new rating pending.
What it means for you
- Check before you go. Any premises can be looked up by name or postcode at ratings.food.gov.uk. The date matters as much as the score.
- Businesses can be re-rated. A business has 21 days from being notified to appeal (gov.uk). It can also post a right of reply, and ask the council for a re-rating visit once it has made improvements (Food Standards Agency).
- You can ask for the inspector’s report. Each register entry says the officer’s report behind a rating can be requested from the council (example), though the council may decline. West Suffolk’s food team is on food&safety@westsuffolk.gov.uk, the address the register gives.
- Ratings below 5 from September are still to come. September’s list above will grow as held-back ratings clear their appeal window. We will cover them in next month’s roundup.
For more on how inspections in the district work, and why the oldest ratings date back years, see our September analysis of the whole register. If you are heading into the centre, our parking page has the town’s car parks and charges.
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